View Full Version : Cooking question
hikergirl1120
04-22-2009, 14:27
I am in the process of preparing for my thru in July and I have a cooking question.
I have been checking out alot of those pasta meals but it seams like most call for some kind of butter or margerine or olive oil.
I was just curious if olive oil was a common thing to carry to cook with??
Blue Wolf
04-22-2009, 14:30
It helps and keeps things from sticking to your pot but it's not needed just cook with a lower heat I have found works very well.
hikergirl1120
04-22-2009, 14:34
How much do you bring? I am just thinking about resupplying and it isn't something that you can buy in super small quantities...
kayak karl
04-22-2009, 14:41
How much do you bring? I am just thinking about resupplying and it isn't something that you can buy in super small quantities...
sometimes you can find it in 8 oz. or split with other hikers, goes good with dinner and in tuna with foil packets. good source of calories. i keep it in the side pouch of pack. i don't pack that or fuel inside pack.
bigcranky
04-22-2009, 15:34
You don't need to add the fat to cook the meals. However, some hikers carry a bottle of olive oil or squeeze margarine to add calories and flavor. Olive oil has a great calorie to weight ratio.
Whatever you do, do not try powdered butter.
hikergirl1120
04-22-2009, 15:49
OOOOO I forgot about that squeeze margerine stuff...I dont think that has to be refrigerated
hikergirl1120
04-22-2009, 15:50
Whatever you do, do not try powdered butter.
wouldn't you have to reconstitute it wil something like olive oil anyways?
Two Tents
04-22-2009, 15:53
Hey! Check out these guys for indiv. olive oil and lots of other goodies. ---Two Tents http://www.packitgourmet.com/
been using a little bottle of olive oil for yrs,it really helps.ky
flemdawg1
04-22-2009, 16:46
:eek: You use Olive Oil for KY? ewww.
:eek: You use Olive Oil for KY? ewww.
In a pinch, or is it a jam?
flemdawg1
04-22-2009, 17:31
Jam is too sticky.
:eek: You use Olive Oil for KY? ewww.
always some anal smart ass making fun of peoples trail name,ofcourse you probably use the jam mixed with the olive oil smart ass.ky
another source for individual packets of olive oil (and other stuffs) is minimus.biz
We carry a 4 oz. bottle of olive oil and add some to every dinner. It's pretty easy to refill it. Buy a larger bottle and leave what you don't need in a hiker box. I asked while eating in a pizza place once and they let me fill the bottle for a dollar...Don't be afraid to be creative when practicing your Yogi.:)
Get past a couple days and oil becomes a necessity - it is high in calories, fills you up and as well keeps your stomach feeling better. It makes food taste better as well.
Powdered butter is good if used in recipes - as a dry item for flavor. I use it often in rice dishes to add "oomph" to a dish :)
hikergirl1120
04-23-2009, 08:49
I am glad I asked. Def gonna go with the olive oil...not to sure about powdered butter lol
always some anal smart ass.......He said "anal". :D:eek::rolleyes:
Any time I go to subway I ask for oil packets then save them for hiking and eat my hoagie without them. Also I have taken oil in one of those plastic alcohol bottles from liqueur stores, the ones you can buy at the counter like mini bottles. It is great when you cook bortella tortellini to pan fry them after cooking.
Blissful
04-23-2009, 10:12
I know some carry olive oil. I never did - too worried about the stuff leaking, etc. I always skipped the margarine part of the directions. Never missed it.
Olive oil is great. I always carry a little squeeze bottle of it. Very good calories. But I am not a thru. Please check the thread on clarified butter ie: ghee. The stuff keeps forever.
take-a-knee
04-23-2009, 22:53
OOOOO I forgot about that squeeze margerine stuff...I dont think that has to be refrigerated
Yes and after it kills you, you likely won't need refrigeration for a day or two. If you have not yet been informed of the dangers of ANY food item, that, anywhere on it's label has the words,"partially hydrogenated", then let me be the one to clue you in. This stuff, along with refined sugar, is the cause of our current epidemic of heart disease and type II diabetes.
peakbagger
04-24-2009, 10:02
Not sure if it makes a difference to you, but adding oil to a Lipton type meal seems to increase the amount of work required to get the pot clean after the meal. Without oil, a little warm water suffices, with oil, a dab of soap is sometimes needed. In reality, it doesnt make a difference to me as the only time I use the pot is to boil water, so a bit of residue from the prior meal just adds a bit of flavor:rolleyes:. But if you insist on a clean pot, factor it in.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 10:24
Yes and after it kills you, you likely won't need refrigeration for a day or two. If you have not yet been informed of the dangers of ANY food item, that, anywhere on it's label has the words,"partially hydrogenated", then let me be the one to clue you in. This stuff, along with refined sugar, is the cause of our current epidemic of heart disease and type II diabetes.
I am not talking about stocking up my apartment with the stuff but it may help me out for a while on my thru
Critical issues for fats/oil are taste vs price
and the logistics of resupply and price vs size.
Even at $8 to $16 a litre, olive oil is still only $1 to $2 for 1000kcal.
So you may as well get something you like the taste of.
Once you are lean enough, it shouldn't be hard to go through a litre of oil. If starting out and still losing weight you may not need that much however, so you might be looking to resupply in smaller quantities. You can also use it as lamp oil though, which is pretty cool. It is fairly easy to make a small tealight or ion stove sized oil lamp that can give you some light and maybe keep you tea warm, but enough heat to heat up water quickly without soot is alot more difficult. Something to mess around with though, but you have to be very careful with oil stoves because the oil gets extremely hot. Something to keep in mind cooking with oil also. Oil gets like 500F or something before it boils. That can burn flesh right to the bone. Totally safe as a condiment though.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 10:50
Lamp oil?? Wait a minute....
I was talking about something I could safely consume LOL
take-a-knee
04-24-2009, 10:56
I am not talking about stocking up my apartment with the stuff but it may help me out for a while on my thru
That is a stupid answer, use olive oil like others here have advised you. WB has a member, who, after 14.000 miles of AT hiking, had a heart attack in his forties, it isn't a coincidence. Living off of ramen and sugar is a recipe for a reduced life span.
Canola oil is very similar chemically to light extra virgin olive oil. It is very cheap, and makes a great lamp oil and cooking oil, but doesn't have the same appeal to me as a salad oil or with bread or pasta. If you resupplied some place that didn't have olive oil however, you might make do with some other vegetable oil if you added enough herbs and stuff, or extreme hiker hunger. Healthwise, I would look into which vegetable oils are best, and avoid margarine. I'm a big fan of butter and bacon, in moderation, and totally avoid margarine so I can have stuff like butter and meat fat more often.
That's something you can do also. You can buy a pound of bacon, and cook up the bacon, and separate and render the fat and use that for making biscuits and stuff, or even serving with pasta. More of a winter treat for me, but once I lose enough weight I might get back into bacon as long as I'm burning it off. Bacon fat is fun to mess around with as lamp oil also.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:00
Stupid is kind of HARSH don't you think Jeez Louise!!!!!
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:02
Ssshhhhhhh Jak!! don't tell take-a-knee about the bacon grease LOL I am kidding!!! I know that heart health is very important, all I was trying to say is that normally I DO NOT use margerine
Lamp oil?? Wait a minute....
I was talking about something I could safely consume LOLPeople have been using olive oil as lamp oil for thousands of years. That's the other thing I prefer about olive oil is that it is an ancient traditional, though perhaps not so much North America.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:06
Oh gosh I misunderstood what that post was saying....ok this is a duh morning for me ha ha
I am think ing I will just go with the darn olive oil! :)
Ssshhhhhhh Jak!! don't tell take-a-knee about the bacon grease LOL I am kidding!!! I know that heart health is very important, all I was trying to say is that normally I DO NOT use margerineCould someone give a quick run-down on which types of fats are worse than others because I usually get it wrong. I know stuff like oilive oil is best, as long as you don't overheat it too much, but I'm not all that clear on the butter or bacon vs margarine debate. Anyone?
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:09
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_fats.htm
Oh gosh I misunderstood what that post was saying....ok this is a duh morning for me ha ha
I am think ing I will just go with the darn olive oil! :)There you go.
Olive Oil is lovely, and ancient, both as lamp oil and as food and as baby oil also. There you go. Multi-use. lol
Extra-virgin and Light Coloured is best as Lamp Oil and for cooking.
Extra-virgin and Dark Coloured is often tastier for salads, pasta, bread, etc.
Both are probably great for your skin.
The 'Extra-Virgin' means low acid, which comes from being the first oil from the cold press. Alot of the crappy stuff left over gets 'refined' into lamp oil, but is no better as lamp oil than Extra-Virgin Light.
'Baby Oil' is actually Mineral Oil, which isn't exactly poisonous as it can sometimes be used medicinally, but it is not a food. I think again the best and safest oil for spreading on your skin is something more natural that is also safe to eat, like Olive Oil.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:14
I use alot of EVOO regularly and I love the taste. I was just thinking about how expenseive it would be or hard to get...
Olive oil also makes some of the best soap you can use! (And it won't kill a dog if they eat it...sigh)
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_fats.htm
Thanks for that.
So in simple terms:
Monounsaturated Fats - good
Polyunsaturated Fats - good
Saturated Fats - bad, but natural and ok in moderation
Trans Fats - very bad
take-a-knee
04-24-2009, 11:34
Could someone give a quick run-down on which types of fats are worse than others because I usually get it wrong. I know stuff like oilive oil is best, as long as you don't overheat it too much, but I'm not all that clear on the butter or bacon vs margarine debate. Anyone?
1) Olive oil- no contribution to atherosclerosis, monosaturated fat. Centerpiece of the acclaimed mediteranean diet.
2) Bacon fat- saturated and most likely consumed only occasionally and in small quantities. A few postulate that any pork product is an immunodepressant. One BLT every week won't hurt you, IMO.
3) Butter- saturated fat, some (especially the Paleo Diet types, who avoid all or most dairy) say avoid it. Others say the saturated fat is only a problem along with high consumption of refined carbohydrate (the inflammation thing). Probably best to keep it to a minimum, use olive oil where you can, but some things just cook up better with butter. There are spreads now that combine the two. It is a natural product, though it is likely best to consume it in moderation.
4) Margerine-a mildy toxic, slow-acting poison, guaranteed to rob you of at least some measure of health, if you consume enough ot it. This stuff has been long implicated as a primary cause of atherosclerosis, and is currently thought to contribute to insulin resistance (along with refined carb consumption). Any food item that has the words, "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list should be put back on the shelf. If you have any in your cupboard, throw it out.
Vegetable oils are hydrogenated by heating them to high temps, this isn't done for your physical health, it is done for mega-food companies' FISCAL health (IE accountant's ledgers). Twinkies placed on top of the refrigerator can be left there indefinetely. If you eat said twinkie part of it will stay in your arteries until your corpse decays away.
Olive oil also makes some of the best soap you can use! (And it won't kill a dog if they eat it...sigh)Hey another good use. In another thread we were talking about mixing wood ash with water and then with oil or fat for making soap. I gotta try that at home and see if I can do it in the field also, in a small fast batch.
p.s. Did you lose a dog from eating soap? Sorry to hear that.
take-a-knee
04-24-2009, 11:42
Ssshhhhhhh Jak!! don't tell take-a-knee about the bacon grease LOL I am kidding!!! I know that heart health is very important, all I was trying to say is that normally I DO NOT use margerine
HG, if you were about to step in front of a bus, would you be offended if I shouted at you? If you have good dietary habits at home, take them on the trail with you. And no, a little bacon grease probably won't lead to your demise most likely, but living off of hydrogenated fats and sugar like most hikers do most certainly won't do anything for your health. You are young enough now that if you start a healthy lifestyle now, like a scrupulous diet and exercise regimine to go along with healthy activites like hiking, you'll still be mobile and independent 60yrs from now. IE, no one will have to help you to the toilet or slide a bedpan under your a$$.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:49
I DO have a healthy lifestyle and DO have a healthy diet, I was just looking at margerine becuase I hadn't previously considered it....I am going to go with the Olive Oil.
hikergirl1120
04-24-2009, 11:52
HG, if you were about to step in front of a bus, would you be offended if I shouted at you? If you have good dietary habits at home, take them on the trail with you. And no, a little bacon grease probably won't lead to your demise most likely, but living off of hydrogenated fats and sugar like most hikers do most certainly won't do anything for your health. You are young enough now that if you start a healthy lifestyle now, like a scrupulous diet and exercise regimine to go along with healthy activites like hiking, you'll still be mobile and independent 60yrs from now. IE, no one will have to help you to the toilet or slide a bedpan under your a$$.
But seriously good looking out and I REALLY do appreciate your feedback and advice!!!
Thanks to both of you for getting me to get the good fats vs bad fats thing straight.
It's something I have had to revisit again and again over the years, but getting more important now with age.
Farr Away
04-24-2009, 13:02
...
Twinkies placed on top of the refrigerator can be left there indefinetely. If you eat said twinkie part of it will stay in your arteries until your corpse decays away.
Loved the scenes in WALL-E where he's feeding the cockroach 700-year-old Twinkies. They looked like they were made yesterday.
Feral Bill
04-24-2009, 19:52
That is a stupid answer, use olive oil like others here have advised you. WB has a member, who, after 14.000 miles of AT hiking, had a heart attack in his forties, it isn't a coincidence. Living off of ramen and sugar is a recipe for a reduced life span.
There's no need to be rude, or to overstate the case.
take-a-knee
04-24-2009, 22:54
There's no need to be rude, or to overstate the case.
I agree, that's why I was neither.
You can also try ghee (clarified real butter) which lasts longer than butter when unrefigerated. I used it for 9 days in September last year without it going bad. Of course, it is real butter, so has those bad fats, but it also tastes like butter (not quite as good, really, but olive oil can be overpowering unless the spices in your meal are strong, and olive oil is terrible for making pancakes [but that's just my opinion]). Of course, you can take the above with a grain of salt, but then your blood pressure may rise suddenly ;):p.
Kk, castile soap is what olive oil soap is. Quite easy to make! Just lye, water and the oil. It takes longer to set up than say a tallow based soap but lathers nicely. Coconut oil makes great soap as well - it lathers in salt water.
The good thing about homemade soap, once cured, is it is edible by animals. Dogs will eat soap - some think it is due to worms. Or it might be the fat. Who knows - just that dogs will grab and eat if it is near them. You defintly don't want a dog chewing on store bought "soap" that is a mix of many chemicals. :(
Sorry for the thread drift...a longtime ago I taught soap making classes and also made soap on the side :) Was a lot of fun - but I gave it up when the boy started walking - didn't want him near the lye!
And I meant Jak....lol, have no idea why I typed "Kk" :p
Obviously, by my tag above, I am in my late 40's. I would like to chose a heart healty butter substitute spread for home. I have read the plant based ones reduce cholesterol. Any recs? I would like one that actually tasts good. Thanks!
First they said butter was bad for you, you should eat margarine instead. Then it was cholesterol. Then saturated fats. Then trans fats.
These people have no idea what they are talking about...if they did, they wouldn't be changing their story every 5 years or so.
They found a guy frozen in the alps a few years back...his 2,000 year old body was perfectly preserved...when they did an autopsy they found out the guy had heart disease, cholesterol lining his arteries, etc, etc. This guy wasn't eating big macs and french fries.
Yeah, if I was about to step in front of a bus and somebody saved me I'd be grateful. But if it turned out that it was an imaginary bus I'd probably have quite a different opinion on the matter.
That deal guy in the alps (Northern Italy?) was eating alot of animal fat and pre-historic cheeseburgers, and not drinking red wine. His wife killed him because he would not take the gristle and bones to the communal trash heap.
You are right, I started eating margerine years ago because it was supposed to be better. Now I regret it.
I think the French have the right idea, but I can't chain smoke, drink red wine and eat butter at the same time!
:eek: You use Olive Oil for KY? ewww.
Helps cover the fishy taste. :D
Feral Bill
04-25-2009, 11:31
I agree, that's why I was neither.
Where I come from calling someone stupid is rude. And I grew up in New York City.
Obviously, by my tag above, I am in my late 40's. I would like to chose a heart healty butter substitute spread for home. I have read the plant based ones reduce cholesterol. Any recs? I would like one that actually tasts good. Thanks!
Erin, at home we use Brummel & Brown spread. http://www.brummelandbrown.com/ It is very tasty and is great on bread. Otherwise I just use unsalted butter or EVVO in the kitchen.
take-a-knee
04-25-2009, 13:11
First they said butter was bad for you, you should eat margarine instead. Then it was cholesterol. Then saturated fats. Then trans fats.
These people have no idea what they are talking about...if they did, they wouldn't be changing their story every 5 years or so.
They found a guy frozen in the alps a few years back...his 2,000 year old body was perfectly preserved...when they did an autopsy they found out the guy had heart disease, cholesterol lining his arteries, etc, etc. This guy wasn't eating big macs and french fries.
Yeah, if I was about to step in front of a bus and somebody saved me I'd be grateful. But if it turned out that it was an imaginary bus I'd probably have quite a different opinion on the matter.
The tree-hugging, vegetarian, no-saturated fat types were the ones advocating markedly reduced cholesterol levels. Eating gobs of butter has never been good for you. The food industry funded most of those studies advocating margerine. When they first started doing autopsies and analyzing arterial plaques they saw determined that the plaque was mostly cholesterol. What they have since found out is the cholesterol attatches to a "wire mesh" of SUGAR. So go to Baskin Robbins and have one of those big shakes and find some fat person to have a nice chat with how stupid and ignorant all these health concious types are Dude. Me, I'll finish reading Dr Barry Sears' Mastering the Zone and implement all it's reccomendations to my diet. My body fat % has dropped from 18% to 15%, I'll be at 12% by the end of the summer...but I guess I'm clueless.
The tree-hugging, vegetarian, no-saturated fat types were the ones advocating markedly reduced cholesterol levels. Eating gobs of butter has never been good for you. The food industry funded most of those studies advocating margerine. When they first started doing autopsies and analyzing arterial plaques they saw determined that the plaque was mostly cholesterol. What they have since found out is the cholesterol attatches to a "wire mesh" of SUGAR. So go to Baskin Robbins and have one of those big shakes and find some fat person to have a nice chat with how stupid and ignorant all these health concious types are Dude. Me, I'll finish reading Dr Barry Sears' Mastering the Zone and implement all it's reccomendations to my diet. My body fat % has dropped from 18% to 15%, I'll be at 12% by the end of the summer...but I guess I'm clueless.
I'm glad you've found a religion :sun
borntobeoutdoors
04-30-2009, 13:04
As time and science moves on, the more we find we don't know that we don't know. (Yes I typed that right). Things we were told to avoid in the past, we now learn (Maybe) are good for us, and thengs we were told were good for us we are now told aren't.
Dr Spock (the pediatrician, not the Vulcan) apologized a few years ago for getting most of it wrong in his Baby Book which was the bible for raising a child in the fifties.
I am 67 years old. My doctor tells me that I am in better shape then most people she treats except the emphysema (From smoking which I finally quit a few years ago) and some of the parts that are wearing out.
I have eaten butter my whole life, IN MODERATION. I have eaten red meats my whole life IN MODERATION I don't eat much in prepared food, I think I have had about 10 fast food burgers in my whole life and very little french fries. I eat a lot of vegetables, fish, bison, moderate amounts of pork, poultry, lamb and beef. I don't particulary crave candy, chips or other snack foods. I'm neither a vegan, into organic culture nor health foods. I just try to eat balanced meals with meat, veggies, starch and grains. I expend energy preparing them beyond pushing the button on the microwave. I also walk about 3 miles a day every day unless of course I am backpacking or paddling, and then I expend more energy.
So, I guess my point is that I think too often people look to blame a particular food or food group as being the problem, when the real problem is intake of too much of some things and the lack of exercise to burn it off.
I also think that when one is backpacking and through hiking or paddling or (fill in the blank) any activity that involves exerting a lot of energy, the food rules change. Those activities require a high calorie, protein and carbohydrate intake in order to fuel the body. The exercise will burn it off and is necessary to be physically in shape as well as mentally alert every day.
So it's not only what we eat, it's how much and how we burn it that's important. Excess: BAD Moderation: GOOD
Hawk